This will be my wife and I's 10th cruise, 8 with Royal. We have 3 kids (one in college, one in High school and one in middle school-stayed with gma and gpa) just so you know our family situation.
The night before we stayed at the Epicurian Hotel and ate at Copperfish down the street. I got these recommendations from a cruise critic member's previous review, thank you! This was an excellent choice.
Cab ride to the port was no more than 10-15 minutes costing 20 bucks. We got to the pier and checked right in at 1045am on the ship by 11am. This has never happened before, quick and easy.
Large Balcony a huge plus. Room was good size.
We did not take an excursion but we walked around Key West to all the local shops and had lunch at a restaurant along Duval street. Key lime pie at Kermit's was very tasty!
We stayed at the Epicurian Hotel in Tampa. This a great vibrant neighborhood. The hotel gets an excellent rating from me. We ate at Copperfish down the street and the food there was excellent.